— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

The polycarbonate sheet and rigid film business of AGC (Tokyo, Japan; www.agc.com) is changing ownership, the company announced. The buyer is speciality chemicals company Sumitomo Bakelite (Tokyo; www.sumibe.co.jp), which is expanding its own sheet operations based on PC, ABS, PMMA, and PVC. Financial details of the transaction, in addition to a possible completion date, have not been disclosed.

Both companies extrude polycarbonate sheets and films for use in construction, industry, and electronics, operating solely from sites in Japan. It is likely that AGC’s polycarbonate production at its plant in Aichi will be transferred to one of Sumitomo Bakelite’s four production facilities in the medium term. Neither company disclosed how much material they process annually.

Related: AGC invests millions in fluoropolymer production

According to the Japanese association of plastic sheet manufacturers, Japan Plas (www.p-bankyo.com), the Japanese market for flat and corrugated polycarbonate sheets is projected to reach just over 20,000 t in 2025, based on first-quarter figures. However, the trend has clearly been a downward one in recent years. This could help explain the current consolidation.

Sumitomo Bakelite also operates three plants in Europe – two in Belgium and one in Spain – though these are primarily focused on its speciality chemicals division. Its product range includes phenolic resins, epoxy resins, and polyimides.